At a glance
Possible toolACQ-04 · Other transactions
Authority holder: DARPA Director, DIU Director, military-department Secretary, or official designated by Secretary of Defense
Other transactions
Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.
Availability and verificationExpress statutory pathway; award-specific appropriations, available balances, delegations, implementation and approvals not independently verified.
Program process and intake
Checked 2026-10-04 · program documented. Program evidence is separate from legal authority, available funds and transaction approval.
DIU’s named CSO process supplies an illustrative section 4022 prototype route. Its use of the CSO label is distinct from procurement under section 3458.
DIU Commercial Solutions Opening prototype pathway
- Who this route serves
- Commercial technology providers responding to a stated mission problem
- Administering office / routing lead
- Defense Innovation Unit project team and Agreements Officer, with a sponsoring government organization
Direct implementationThe CSO invokes § 4022 prototype-OT authority; DIU is an example administering route, not an exclusive DoD executor.
What this evidence label means No CSO opening displayed at checkDIU’s current page displayed zero CSO openings; separately listed challenge and Bridge opportunities are not automatically this pathway.
Status reference date: 2026-10-04 · research checked 2026-10-04
DIU Open Pathways · Pathways through Commercial Solutions Openings (CSO): 0 openings, observed 4 October 2026official program guidance · Evidence record Program eligibility
Steps and preparation
The competitive sequence is solution brief, invited pitch, then invited proposal. Invitations do not promise award funding.
DIU Commercial Solutions Opening HQ0845-20-S-C001, Amendment 0001 · Sections 1.2, 1.4, 2 and 3; PDF pp. 2–5official program guidance · Evidence recordAddress problem fit, existing technology, commercial traction, company details and proposed adaptation. DIU recommends five written pages or fifteen slides, rather than making that recommendation a universal statutory limit.
DIU Solution Brief Guidance · Formatting and content requirements; white-paper and slide-deck guidanceofficial program guidance · Evidence record
Funding, limits and authority relationship
DIU current opportunities →
opportunity index: Apply only to an applicable posted opportunity and its instructions.
Research scope and sources checked
The first program-depth pass checked the cited program pages, notices and legal framework. Evidence is limited to the named routes and source-access notes; it does not establish every implementation of the statute.
What remains unverified
- No open DIU CSO was displayed on the checked date; project-specific eligibility, security restrictions, appropriation and pricing remain unresolved until a solicitation is selected.
A dated source check is not continuing monitoring. Recheck the linked official notice before preparing a submission. Browse program research →
Funding conditions
- Existing lawfully available project funds; prototype instrument does not supply an appropriation.
Read the funding and execution guide
Who contributes what
Need & planning
- USD(R&E) and Service science-and-technology executives
Office profile - DARPA or Service laboratory/program manager
Resources
- Sponsoring component RDT&E budget owner; component comptroller
Office profile
Approval
- Secretary of Defense or military-department Secretary; valid delegate must be confirmed
Office profile
Execution
- DARPA Contracts Management Office or Service contracting/grants/agreements office
Office profile - Performing laboratory or external research performer
Partners & review
- Operational customer / acquiring program
- Security, export-control, counsel and fiscal officials as applicable
Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.
Coordination pathwayOperational sponsor supplies need and funding → DIU/DARPA/Service agreements officer structures eligible prototype → threshold approver → technical success assessment.
Actor and execution-role sources
What this research establishes
Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingRules recordedExisting lawfully available project funds; prototype instrument does not supply an appropriation. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument. Assigned rolesRoles recordedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent. EngagementProcess sourcedDIU’s named CSO process supplies an illustrative section 4022 prototype route. Its use of the CSO label is distinct from procurement under section 3458. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status. Confidence: High on express authority and cited conditions; execution assignment is illustrative unless statute expressly names it.
Currentness: GovInfo 2024 Code (includes FY2025 NDAA, P.L. 118-159) read in full for cited provision; targeted FY2026 NDAA P.L. 119-60 amendment/repeal sweep. No claim of complete legislative currency through 2026-10-02; remaining 2026 delta needs counsel validation. OLRC indexed current text dated 2026-09-15 cross-checked for key thresholds and eligibility.
Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.